‘The Americans’ Recap: Can This Spy Fake Marriage Be Saved?

Philip and Elizabeth have been trained to do their jobs since they were teens. They know what the rules are and how to complete a mission. But when you’ve spent the better part of your life doing something, it’s hard not to fall into a pattern of complacency. And it’s even harder when part of your job is to be married.

The Jenningses have been trying to break out of the rut in their marriage by trying to make it real. But any progress Philip and Elizabeth make as a couple is always upended by their jobs as KGB agents.

The job they’re given this week is to stop a contract killer hired by the KGB to take out 14 of the scientists working on the U.S. nuclear ballistics thingy (does anyone really know what’s going on with that?). As the KGB is wont to do, they’re given the impossible task of finding a needle in a haystack: they don’t know what he looks like, where he’s from or when he plans to hit the targets. “Doesn’t it sound fun?” Elizabeth says with a sly smile.

They’re starting to move past their problems and act like a real couple: bantering about the neighbors, stolen moments of sweetness in kitchen, looking in awe at a couple together for 30 years still holding hands (before they blow up their car as a diversion). Philip and Elizabeth are starting to find their groove of melding their work and their home lives. But one little seed of doubt can change all of that.

Philip found this out when Claudia, in the sense of camaraderie with Elizabeth, rats about Philip’s lost weekend with Irina. (How did she know?) Elizabeth, who still has issues with Claudia kidnapping and torturing them a couple weeks ago, can’t believe it. “If you start to think of your marriage as real, it doesn’t work,” Claudia tells her. When Elizabeth returns home and watches Philip sleep, you can see the doubt settling across her face. Philip asks her how her meeting went and she says she’s fighting the urge to kill Claudia because she’s just doing her job.

Elizabeth, in a short, black wig, visits an unnamed man who she’s found out is the contractor’s only contact in the U.S. Before she can go into full interrogation mode, the guy’s young daughter (maybe 11 years old) cocks a shotgun and points it at Elizabeth! Don’t know about you, but I think my heart stopped. Philip’s there to snatch the gun away, and the questioning continues. Turns out the bad seed’s father sold explosives to a tall, chubby, but friendly German.

The Jenningses have dinner with the Beemans and it’s all kinds of awkward. Liz is still distant with Philip after her conversation with Claudia. Paige and Henry bicker (as siblings do in public). And the Beemans couldn’t be more remote from one another. Stan jumps at the first chance to leave for his case—and possibly to get back to Nina and their new safe house.

Back at the Jennings home, Philip asks what’s wrong with Elizabeth and she confronts him with the truth: she knows he lied about sleeping with Irina. To his credit, he doesn’t deny it, just hangs his head and apologizes. When he asks for another chance, Elizabeth cuts him with a no. “We cannot do this. We’ll never do this,” she tells him.

While their marital relationship is in tatters, Philip and Elizabeth are still in sync as a spying pair as they try to match a photo the bad father has with mug shots the FBI was poring over, courtesy of Martha’s sympathy for her new boyfriend. Philip, as Clark, works this relationship so well, it’s easy to see how Martha doesn’t know she’s being played. Is this how he got Analese to help him spy on the Secretary of Defense?

They match the chubby German’s photos and head over to his hotel, where he’s enjoying a TV dinner (so ‘80s). Philip breaks down the door while Elizabeth slides through the open window. They say they don’t want to kill him, they just need him to back off. Chubby German has the room wired to blow and a shootout takes place. Before he can press the detonator, Elizabeth and Philip throw the bomb in bathroom with him. All that’s left is a gross, blood-spattered water closet.

The king and queen of compartmentalization use the car ride home—after blowing up a man—to discuss their relationship. The one aspect of this pair that works is their teamwork when it comes to a job. But your work spouse can’t always be your spouse spouse. Elizabeth says they can’t do their jobs if they’re emotional. “You don’t want to be married to me? I don’t think the center would care,” Philip says when they get home.

Could this be the end of their arrangement? Philip says they had to be married to be believed as U.S. citizens. But times have changed and a divorce wouldn’t be out of the norm. Could Philip and Elizabeth work as just spy partners, not a married couple?

The lyrics to Pablo Cruise’s “Love Will Find a Way” were apt for all our couples in this episode. “You thought that your love was strong/now you’re feeling like such a fool.” Love left Elizabeth open but hurting in the end. And Philip wants yet another chance with Elizabeth, but how many do-overs can this couple take? Poor Beeman will soon realize that his relationship with Nina can never go anywhere, and that’s going to be his downfall.

Side thoughts:

* Beeman is really testing the boundaries of his job as an FBI agent and as Nina’s lover. He’s not as good as compartmentalizing as Philip and Elizabeth. Instead of being present in whatever relationship he’s participating in at the moment, he’s withdrawn. His son pointed it out last week, his wife’s seen it all along, and it’s only a matter of time before Agent Gaad calls him out on his shenanigans with Nina.

* Chubby German Assassin got a little bit of work done before being taken out by Philip and Elizabeth. He planted a bomb in the walkie-talkie of an FBI agent who was entertaining a hooker hired by Chubby. When the timer goes off and blows up the safe house hiding one of the scientists, the aftermath affects all sides. The Jenninges didn’t think to ask if Chubby had already started on his mission because they were too wrapped up in their crumbling marriage. Amador is pissed that three FBI agents were killed and the government will do nothing to retaliate. He’s noticed Martha’s squirrelly behavior and takes to tailing her.

* Nina’s been promoted to be Arkady’s personal secretary. She thinks this will help her get out of the Rezidentura faster, but I highly doubt it. The safe house seemed to be a way for Gaad to placate Beeman’s fears for Nina. It’s not looking like a happy ending for our Russian mole.

* A commenter brought up a good point as to whether Irina and Philip’s tryst was a real affair or part of the rape frame job. If it was part of the frame up, then it was another KGB test for Philip. Claudia’s been upfront about her preference for Elizabeth and telling on Philip would show just how conniving she is. I love it!

So what did you think? Did Martha’s bizarre Boston/New England accent throw you off? Is Amador, quite possibly the least intuitive agent ever, actually onto something with Martha? Which do you prefer: Philip and Elizabeth as spies or spouses?